Life and Death

Life and death is an important part of Go. If you can keep your groups alive, or are able to kill those of your opponent, it will make a large difference to your game. Here are some pages which deal with this subject.

Table of contents General Conventions Techniques Corner Shapes Open Formations Four Spaces Eyespace Six Spaces Eyespace Seven Spaces Eyespace Eight Spaces Eyespace Other Corner Positions Side Shapes Exercises Life & Death Exercises on SL Life & Death Exercises Elsewhere Books & Essays Advice

General

• Introduction to Life and Death
• Life and Death
• Eyes, Two eyes, Eye space, False eye and the Eyes Collection
• Nakade, Almost fill, Killing shapes and Killable eyeshapes
• Smallest group with two eyes
• Dead eye shapes, Unsettled eye shapes, Basic living eye shapes in the center
• Seki

Conventions

• Conventions in Life and Death problems
• Life and Death Status Abbreviations

Techniques

• Killing techniques and capturing techniques

Corner Shapes

(For a diagrammed index, see Corner Shapes or Common Corner Shapes page)

Open Formations

• The L group is dead
• L+1 groups
• L+2 groups
• L+2 with descent
• Long L group
• Tripod group
• J groups
• J+1 group
• Hovercraft
• The Carpenter's square becomes ko

Four Spaces Eyespace

• Bent four in the corner
• Twisted four in the corner

Six Spaces Eyespace

• Rectangular six in the corner
• Gun six

Seven Spaces Eyespace

• Walkie talkie seven
• Bulky seven in the corner
• Bulky seven

Eight Spaces Eyespace

• Rectangular Eight In The Corner
• Gun eight
• Bulky Eight in the Corner

Other Corner Positions

• Square nine in the corner
• Five Stones on the Second Line in the Corner
• Five Stones on the third line in the corner
• Joseki related life and death
• Occupy the Two-Two Point

Side Shapes

(For a diagrammed index, see Side Shapes page)

• Preventing escape on the first line
• Six die but eight live (on the second line)
• Four die but six live (on the third line)
• Notchers
• The comb formation is alive
• The door group is dead
• Tall door group
• Eternal life

Exercises

Life & Death Exercises on SL

• Beginner Exercises
• Kyu Exercises
• One Day 1 Problem
• Gokyo Shumyo Tsumego Series
• Xuanxuan Qijing Tsumego Series
• Xian Ji Wuku Problems
• Shikatsu Myoki Tsumego Series
• Igo Hatsuyo-ron Problems
• Random Tsumego - Life & death problems that are not part of any series

Life & Death Exercises Elsewhere

• TsumegoHero
• 101Weiqi
• BlacktoPlay
• OGS Puzzles
• goproblems.com
• GoBase problems
  • Korean Baduk Academy Problems
• Hitachi Go Problems
• Go Problems on the Internet page lists more links.

Books & Essays

• All About Life and Death by Cho Chikun
• An overview of life and death an SL deshi
• Basic Life and Death Dictionary by Eba Hiroki
• Classical Go Problem Books
• Dictionary of Life and Death
• Get strong at life and death by Richard Bozulich
• Ingenious life and death puzzles by Yang Yilun
• LiChangHo Jingjiang Weiqi Sihuo attributed to Lee Chang Ho (Chinese text)
• Life and Death by James Davies
• Life and Death Problems 1 by RobertJasiek
• One thousand and one life and death problems by Richard Bozulich

Advice

• How to approach a life and death problem
• Don't Be Greedy

[1] Note that the Chinese, Japanese and Korean names translate as "death (and) life", not "life and death".